You’re five now, buddy! How does it feel?

Not like five.

You feel just the same as you did when you were four?

(Shrugs)

Tell me about your friends.

Which friends?

Any friends!

Buddy, Malachi, Jane, Abby, Ezra, little Jacob…

What kinds of things do you like to do with your siblings?

I like to play hide and seek, tag, to swing on the swing, and sometimes Simeon makes treasure hunts. And I like to play cars and build things and play trains – which we haven’t played in a long time! And I like to color. (He is a superb

I think I’ll do fine on the test after I start the studying process. I’ve been told it’s a lot of common sense questions.

So, when do you think you’ll be ready to take the test?

I mean, honestly, I could probably wing it and pass, because you don’t need 100% to pass. But I’ll still do a little studying just to be safe.

What other exciting things are happening in your life right now?

I started soccer – a U17 travel team. We’re required to run miles, sprint a mile or two, and jog a lot. It’s not exactly pleasant. That’s a monumental understatement. It’s very unpleasant.

The first game we’re playing is a U18 team, which means they’re older, bigger, and stronger than we are.

On top of that, aren’t you the youngest and smallest one on your team?

Yep! … Nope! There’s one kid that’s actually younger than I am, but to make up for that he’s about a whole foot taller.

Tell me about your upcoming school year. (Starting the week after next!!)

School at home will be really good, but I’m not looking forward to co-op at all.

Why? You’ve got some interesting classes, right?

I mean, yes. I’m a little worried about physical science. Chemistry is not something I like. I thought I would a long time ago, but I didn’t realize how hard it is. It’s about molecules and chemicals, but I’m interested in unseen forces like gravity and theories like relativity.

But the other half of your physical science class is about physics, right? So that’ll be fun!

That comes down to the hesitation of me basically discovering whether my dream of being a physicist or an aerospace engineer could actually be a reality or whether physics is uninteresting and not the path I want to pursue.

In short, this is my dream, and this is the big test, so it’s slightly stressful to possibly face the fact that it’s not right.

My other two classes are criminal justice and a historical literature class. In theory, those both sound like very fun classes, but literature isn’t really my thing. I’m not a very fast reader and writing isn’t my strong suit. Criminal justice will be good. I’m just hoping it’s not too much.

Tell me about your walk with God lately.

I just did Timothy School, which is a Bible school for teens. I highly recommend it for all teens. It’s an in-depth study of scripture. I’m also leading a Bible study with my younger siblings, and I’ll be starting another group soon.

Ever since Timothy school, I’ve really liked Titus. I liked learning about him as a person, and I’ve been reading the book of the Bible. He went to the church to comfort it because of the persecutions. He went to help and revive them. Later, Paul really used Titus to help him in the faith and as a companion.

I also just finished Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, a book written by Nabeel Quereshi about having sincere Islamic faith but having a Christian friend challenge him in his faith. They both set out to prove their faith, using history and science. Nabeel came out incredibly broken, because his faith was incredibly wrong. What he was taught by his parents and teachers is not at all historically accurate or accurate in other ways. It’s a story of coming to true faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a very sad story, but it’s also encouraging and helpful for me as a believer.

Are there any personal aspects of your walk with God you’re willing to share here?

Recently God has given me a revelation about my whole salvation experience. Even dreams I had when I was younger all led me to Him.

Eden turned 7 in February but with all of life’s craziness, we’re finally sitting down to do an interview in May.

Tell me about your life as a 7 year old.

My favorite wild cat is a tiger. I want to be a singer. My favorite game is hide and go seek.

What other games do you play with your siblings?

On the tire swing, we like to play bomber. Simeon either pushes the swing or he holds onto it and rides on it, and we have to run away and not get hit by it.

Who are your friends?

Abby, Jane, Ellie, Eleasah, Selah, and Alice. On Shabbat, we normally play house outside on the playground, and we play Ashton’s version of tag.

What’s Ashton’s version of tag?

It’s wherever the person who’s it counts and then when they’re done counting …. (She is finding it hard to describe it accurately while also navigating the increasingly messy ice cream cone she’s working on, so we decide to move on.)

What are your favorite days of the week?

Probably Saturday and Tuesday because I get to see my friends.

Here are some other pictures she wanted to include:

Things we want to remember about our Zephaniah:

He’s fat. (Madeline has always called him fat, though he hasn’t actually been fat for a while.)

He is also a very loud talker. The loudest we’ve ever made. Which is why I bought him these jammies:

He loves his big brothers. They’re quite the tribe.

He’s also a bit of a monkey. He’s been working on climbing this yellow post all summer.

He and Eden like to play a game called “Mushy” where Eden speaks through a clenched jaw with most words starting with a “sh” or “zh” sound. He thinks it’s one of the funniest things on earth.

Zephan is one of the most intrusive sleepers. Here he is in action with me. Thankfully Erich had already gotten up, so I slid over to his side.

And here is is intruding on his brother’s side of the bed. At least he has a more snuggly posture with Simeon.

He’s a very fine little man. We’re excited to continue to watch him grow in wisdom and stature.

What did you do on your birthday this year?

Well, it was on Friday, so we cleaned and I baked and decorated a cake. (I know it doesn’t sound like a tremdously fun birthday. That’s why we’re out on a belated birthday date with her today!)

We were supposed to make a world cake for geography, so I made a map of the world on it. (It was both delicious and artistic!)

My siblings and you guys gave me gifts, like books and cards. My siblings and I played Old Maid together in between school and cleaning. (Even Madeline joined in the festivities like old times. Hearing them laugh together was sweet.)

We had some friends over for dinner, and a bunch of us kids played with walkie talkies. Then my friend, Alathea, spent the night.

Are you excited about starting your 12th year?

I guess so. Part of me wants to get older, but then once I’m an adult I’ll probably just want to be a kid again.

How are you feeling these days about giving your life to Yeshua?

Well, I prayed that I would listen to Him. That he would help me listen to Him today no matter what.

That’s awesome, my love. He will answer that!

What are some of your favorite songs right now?

I guess that Sticks and Stones song is cool. And these are two of my favorites right now:

What is your favorite dessert at this point in time?

Oh boy…hmm…I guess ice cream is good. And donuts. And other stuff.

Huh. That’s a bit broad.

What’s your favorite restaurant to eat at right now?

Do you mean fast food or fancy?

Let’s do both!

Chick fil A breakfast if good. Zaxbys is good too. Olive Garden is a good fancy one.

Might I make a suggestion?

Sure.

Simeon’s favorite burger joint?

El Jinete! (Yes, Simeon faithfully orders a burger every time we go to the family’s favorite Mexican restaurant.)

What kind of job do you think you might want to do when you get older?

I might be a receptionist or a waitress. (“Or a poodle rangler!” Erich suggests.) I could possibly be a cashier. (Although I’m not sure if there will be many cashier jobs when she gets older.) Or I could work with dolphins.

What is your favorite Bible verse or book right now?

Well, God works all for good.

Romans 8:28!

Yes. I guess “Today if you hear his voice…” is a hard one. Sometimes we don’t want to do what God wants us to do because we’re sinful. It tells us not to harden our hearts.

Try to think of something that each of your siblings does that’s their thing right now.

Madeline writes.

Anson just got his new computer. And he likes soccer.

Simeon likes soccer too. He makes us laugh with all kinds of things. He likes to say, “My bad, Sarge.” And he always eats burgers, even at Mexican restaurants.

Eden plays Mushy. (It’s a game…or is it a language? She changes words to have sh or zh sounds at the beginning, and talks through a clenched jaw. Zephan finds it quite hysterical. Simeon, on the other hand, does not.)

Zephan does too.

And something funny you’ve gotten into the habit of saying….

Oink oink!

We have encountered some new and challenging things this year with this sweet baby girl, but she’s making it through. She is a highly sensitive and conscientious girl. By God’s grace, we have faith that He will overwhelm her sometimes overly-anxious heart (from that sometimes *overly* sensitive and conscientious heart) with His love and goodness and grow her all the days of her life.